Vacuum cleaners



May 25, 1965 w. P. VERMEULEN 3,184,776

VACUUM CLEANERS Filed Sept. 26, 1962 ll (rlnnllnn IN V EN TOR. VV/ z z mm P VfEMEl/l [A/ H IS ATTORNEY 3,184,776 VACUUM CLEANERS William P. Vernreulen, Springdale, Conan, assignor to Eiectrolux Corporation, Old Greenwich, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 26, 1962, Ser. No. 22%,42ti 6 Claims. ((11. 15-327) My invention relates to vacuum cleaners and more particularly to tank type cleaners in which the dust bag and motor-fan unit are contained within a body or housing adapted to be movably supported on the floor and connected to a suction nozzle by means of a flexible hose which also serves to move the housing along the floor.

With such a device it is normally advantageous to have the hose connected to the housing by means of a separable coupling which may also swivel or rotate with respect to the housing in order to avoid kinking the hose.

However, it is also desirable to provide a suction nozzle having surface agitating means, such as a rotary brush, driven by an electric motor, in which case it is necessary to have a pair of conductors running from the housing along the hose to the nozzle. The conductors may be either built into the hose or permanently or removably secured to the outer surface thereof, but in either event the portion of the conductors adjacent to the end of the hose is free of the latter and is provided with a plug which may be removably received in a receptacle mounted on the housing.

With this arrangement swiveling of the hose with respect to the housing tends to wrap the free portion of the conductor around the hose and thus subjects it to strain which frequently disengages the plug from the receptacle, thus interrupting the supply of current to the nozzle. Inasmuch as this is more inconvenient than the possibility of kinking the hose, it is an object of my invention to provide means which may be utilized to restrain swiveling of the hose when a conductor is connected to the housing, but which may be rendered inoperative to permit swiveling at other times.

According to a preferred embodiment of my invention this means includes a ring which may be removably placed over the end of the hose and is provided with means which prevents it from swiveling with respect to both the hose and the housing, thereby preventing swiveling of the hose with respect to the housing.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification and of which;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a tank type vacuum cleaner, including a body, hose and nozzle, em bodying my invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the vacuum cleaner body shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional View taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a front view on a somewhat reduced scale of a slightly modified vacuum cleaner body;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a ring member shown in each of the previous figures.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, reference char acter 1t) designates generally a hollow housing or body member provided with wheels 12 for movably supporting it on a horizontal surface, such as a floor; Mounted within the body is a motor-fan unit 14 including an electric motor driving a fan, the motor being supplied Biddfiih Patented May 25, 1%65 with current through an electric cord 16. The left-hand end of body 10, as viewed in FIG. 1, is provided with an open end which is normally closed by means of a cover 18 which is formed with a more or less centrally located inlet opening to which a flexible hose 2%) may be removably connected by means of a separable and rotatable coupling 22, shown more in detail in FIG. 3. The opposite end of hose 20 is connected to a rigid tubular handle 23 of a suction nozzle 24. The latter is provided with a surface agitating member such as the brush 26 driven by an electric motor 28. In order to supply the motor 28 with current a conductor cor-d 34 extends upwardly along the handle 23 and is provided with a plug 32 which may be received in a receptacle 34 secured in any suitable way to the hose 2%. From the receptacle a conductor cord 36 leads along the hose and is secured thereto by means of a plurality of clamps 38. A portion of the cord designated by reference character 36a is free from connection to the hose and is provided at its end with a plug 40 which may be received in a receptacle 4-2, shown more in detail in FIG. 3, which is carried by the cover 18. This receptacle is connected by means of a conductor cord 44 extending within the body It to the cord 16.

As is shown more in detail in FIG. 3, the coupling 22 has an annular space 46 formed between an inner wall 48 and an outer wall 50. Disposed within the annular space is a pair of latch members 52 each having a latch 54 extending radially outwardly through an opening in the outer wall 50 for engaging a circular lip 56 fixed to the cover 18, spring means 58 being provided for urging the latches outwardly and into engagement with the lip 56. Inasmuch as the lip is circular, the coupling may rotate within the inlet opening and hence the hose 29 may rotate or swivel with respect to the cover 18 and body 19.

In order to detach the hose from the cover each latch 54 is provided with a button 69 extending outwardly through appropriate openings in the outer wall 50. Thus, the two buttons may be grasped between the thumb and forefinger and may be moved radially inwardly against the force of spring 58 in order to disengage the latches 54 from the lip 56. A more detailed description of this coupling is to be found in Patent No. 2,102,802 of Decem ber 21, 1937 to G. E. Lofgren.

As will be seen more particularly in FIG. 3, the front cover 18 is pivotally mounted on the body It by means of the hinge 62 and is normally retained in closed position by means of a latch 64 pivoted at 66 within the cover and engaging a keeper 68 mounted on the body 10. The latch 64 is provided with a button 74 extending through an opening in the cover 18 which may be depressed to release the latch from the keeper 63. The latch is also provided with an arm 72 which is engaged by a pin 74 carried by a diaphragm 76 forming the movable wall of a diaphragm chamber 78 from which air may be exhausted through an opening 8i Within the body 10 there is removably mounted a dust bag 82 which is formed with an inlet opening into which extends a conduit 84 carried by the front cover 18 and communicating with the inlet therethrough. The bag 82 is located in a dust bag compartment 86 which communicates with the inletof the motor-fan unit 14 so that, when the latter is operating, the compartment 86 is maintained under a partial vacuum which causes air to flow inwardly through the nozzle 24 and through the hollow handle 22, hose 2% and conduit 84 to the interior of the bag. Dirt picked up by the nozzle and carried along by this air is deposited within the bag, the cleaned air pass- Reference character 99 designates generally a control unit of the type shown in Patent No. 2,714,425 of August 2, 1955, to A; P. Cawl. This unit forms no part of the present invention and hence will not be described in detail, except to state that it functions to connect the conduit 80 from the diaphragm chamber '78 with the low pressure existing in the dust bag compartment 86 upon the occurrence of a predetermined drop in pressure of the air passing through the dust bag 82. The resulting partial vacuum occurring in diaphragm chamber 78 causes the diaphragm '76 to move to the left, as viewed in FIG. 3 to thus pivot the latch 64 to unlatching position, which is an indication to the operator that the dust bag 82 should be removed and replaced by a clean one.

The control unit 90 is provided with an adjusting knob.

92 for varying the value of the pressure drop through the dust bag required to open the valve connecting the diaphragm chamber with the dust bag compartment, and this knob is received Within a recess 94 formed in the cover 18. i As will be seenparticularly in FIG. 2, the upper wall 96 of this recess is substantially straight and extends horizontally.

Referring nowmore particularly to FIG. 6, reference character 100 designates generallya circular ring formed at one end with a pair of notches 102 and at the other end with an axially extending projection 164. As will be seen from FIGS. 2 and 3, if it is desired to prevent rotation of the hose 20 relative to the body 10, the ring 100 may be slipped over the end of the coupling 22 when the latter is disconnected from the front cover, and positioned so that the buttons 60 are received Within the notches 102. The coupling 22 is then inserted into the inlet of the front cover 18 with the ring 100 in the proper posit-ion so that the projection 104 will extend into the recess 94 and will contact the straight upper surface 96 thereof.

It will thus be seen that due to the engagement of the buttons 6t) within the notches 102, the ring lite-is fixed against rotation with respect to the coupling 22 and the hose 29, while the engagement of the projection 104 within the recess 4 restrains the ring against rotation with respect to the cover 18 and body 10. Thus, the ring acts as a locking element preventing rotation of the hose with respect to the body. This in turn prevents the free portion 36a of the cord from being wrapped around the hose, which otherwise would occur if the hose were able to swivel in the cover. On the other hand, whenever it is desired to use the hose without the electric nozzle 24, the plug 40may be disconnected from the receptacle 42 and the ring 160 removed, thus permitting the hose to swivel in the cover.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the front cover 18a is not provided with a control unit 9t) and hence is not formed with a recess 94. However, the cover is formed with a portion 1% which extends forwardly from the rest of the cover so as to provide a substantially straight shoulder 10%. The ring 106 may be used with this cover by'placing it over the coupling 22 in the manner previously described, .that is with the buttons 69 received within the notches N2. However, when the coupling is connected to the inlet opening it is turned so that the axial projection 104 is as shown in FIG. 4, in which position it engages the shoulder 108 on the cover 18. This prevents rotation of the ring relative to thecover and hence the. ring locks the hose against rotation in the same manner as previously described.

While I have shown two more or less specific embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that this has been done for purposes of illustration only and that the scope of my invention is not to be limited thereby, but is to be determined from the appended claims.

, What I claim is:

1. In a vacuum cleaner, abody having an inlet opening, a fan in said'body for inducing flow of air through said inlet, an electric motor in said'body for driving said.

fan, a suction hose, means for rotatably connecting one end of said hose to said inlet opening, a suction nozzle connected to the other end of said hose, electrically operated means in said nozzle, an electric conductor carried by said hose for supplying current to said nozzle, an electrical receptacle carried by said body adjacent to said inlet, a portion of said conductor adjacent to said one end of said hose being free of said hose, an electric plug on the free end of said portion and being receivable in said receptacle, a ring removably mountable on said hose adjacent to said one end thereof, means extending radially from said hose and engaging a radially extending surface on said ring to prevent rotation of the ring relative to the hose, and means extending axially from said ring and engaging an axially extendingsurfaceon said body to prevent rotation of said ring relative to said body.

2. In the combination defined in claim 1,.said axially extending surface being disposed in a recess in said body.

3. in the combination defined in claim 1, said axially extending surface also extending outwardly from said body.

4. In a vacuum cleaner, a body having an inlet opening, a fan in said body for inducing flow of. air through said inlet, an electric motorin said body for driving said fan, a suction hose, a separable coupling connected to one end of said hose and rotatably engageable in said inlet opening, a button extending radially from said coupling for disengaging the latter from said inlet, a suction nozzle connected to the other end of said hose, electrically operated means in said nozzle, an electric conductor carried by said hose for supplying current to said nozzle, an electrical receptacle carried by said body adjacent to said inlet, a portion of said conductor adjacent to said coupling being free of said hose, an electric plug on the free end of said portion and being receivable in said receptacle, a ring removably mountable on said coupling and having a radially extending surface engageable by said button to prevent rotation of the ring relative to the coupling and hose, and means extending axially from said ringand engaging an axially extending surface on said body to prevent rotation of said ring relative to said body.

, 5. In a vacuum cleaner, a hollow body including a cover member having an inlet opening, a fan in said body for inducing flow of air through said inlet, an electric motor in said body for driving'said fan, a suction hose,

means for rotatably connecting one end of said hose to ,said body adjacent to said cover member, a portion of said conductor adjacent to said one end of-said hose being free of said hose, an electric plug on the free end of said portion and being receivable in said receptacle, a ring removably mountable on said hose adjacent to said one 'end thereof, means extending radially from said hose and engaging a radially extending surface on said ring to prevent rotation of thering relative to the hose, and means extending axially from said ring and engaging a substantially flat axially extending surface on said cover to prevent rotation of said ring relative to said cover. and body.

6. In a vacuum cleaner, a body, having an inlet opening, a fan in said body for inducing fiow'of air throughsaid inlet, an electric motor in said body for driving said fan, a suction hose, a separable coupling connected to one end of said hose and rotatably engageable in said inlet opening, a button extending radially from said coupling of said portion and being receivable in said receptacle, a ring removably mounted on said coupling and having a notch in one end thereof for receiving said button to prevent rotation of the ring relative to the coupling and hose, and means extending axially from the other end of said ring and engaging an axially extending surface on said body to prevent rotation of this ring relative to said body.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,579,314 12/51 Grurnblatt 285-7 5 2,769,999 11/56 Sheahan 15-377 X 2,839,775 6/58 Hansen 15323 WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A VACUUM CLEANER, A BODY HAVING AN INLET OPENING, A FAN IN SAID BODY FOR INDUCING FLOW OF AIR THROUGH SAID INLET, AN ELECTRIC MOTOR IN SAID BODY FOR DRIVING SAID FAN, A SUCTION HOSE, MEANS FOR ROTATABLY CONNECTING ONE END OF SAID HOSE TO SAID INLET OPENING, A SUCTION NOZZLE CONNECTED TO THE OTHER END OF SAID HOSE, ELECTRICALLY OPERATED MEANS IN SAID NOZZLE, AN ELECTRIC CONDUCTOR CARRIED BY SAID HOSE FOR SUPPLYING CURRENT TO SAID NOZZLE, AN ELECTRICAL RECEPTACLE CARRIED BY SAID BODY ADJACENT TO SAID INLET, A PORTION OF SAID CONDUCTOR ADJACENT TO SAID ONE END OF SAID HOSE BEING FREE OF SAID HOSE AN ELECTRIC PLUG ON THE FREE END OF SAID PORTION AND BEING RECEIVABLE IN SAID RECEPTACLE, A RING REMOVABLY MOUNTABLE ON SAID HOSE ADJACENT TO SAID ONE END THEREOF, MEANS EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM SAID HOSE AND ENGAGING A RADIALLY EXTENDING SURFACE ON SAID RING TO PREVENT ROTATION OF THE RING RELATIVE TO THE HOSE, AND MEANS EXTENDING AXIALLY FROM SAID RING AND ENGAGING AN EXIALLY EXTENDING SURFACE ON SAID BODY TO PREVENT ROTATION OF SAID RING RELATIVE TO SAID BODY. 